Guilty: the fanatics hellbent on carnage at Christmas

Members of a terrorist network who plotted to launch a Mumbai-style attack on Parliament and blow up the capital’s most prominent landmarks have pleaded guilty to a series of charges.

The group, which was inspired by al-Qaeda and had cells in London, Cardiff and Stoke-on-Trent, discussed sending explosives through the post at Christmas and planting bombs in pubs on the day of a football match, it emerged this week at Woolwich Crown Court.

Two of the nine-strong network of young Muslim men were captured conducting surveillance on London targets including the London Eye, Big Ben and the Church of Scientology. They also had advanced plans to plant a bomb in London Stock Exchange lavatories.